Donald N. Heirman (1940-2020) was an American electrical engineer and one of the most influential figures in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standardization. He spent more than 30 years at Bell Labs, founded the Global Product Compliance Laboratory, chaired CISPR and ANSI ASC C63, and served as president of the IEEE EMC Society and the IEEE Standards Association.

What is Don Heirman known for?

He is best known for shaping the international standards that govern how electronic products are tested for radio-frequency emissions, including his leadership of CISPR, ANSI C63.4 (the US emission measurement standard), and pioneering work on open area test sites and measurement uncertainty.

What awards did Don Heirman receive?

His highest honors include the IEC Lord Kelvin Award (2008, the IEC's highest award), the ANSI Elihu Thomson Electrotechnology Medal (2017), the IEEE Richard M. Emberson Award (2018), the IEEE Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award (1997), and the IEEE Richard R. Stoddart Award (1995).

Where are Don Heirman's papers archived?

His professional papers are held by Purdue University Libraries Special Collections as collection MSA 291, available at collections.lib.purdue.edu/heirman. Researchers can contact Purdue Special Collections for access.

Biography of Donald N. Heirman (1940-2020)

Donald N. Heirman (1940 - October 30, 2020) was an American electrical engineer and one of the most influential leaders in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standardization. Over a career spanning more than five decades he managed Bell Labs’ Global Product Compliance Laboratory, chaired the IEC’s International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR) and ANSI ASC C63, and served as president of both the IEEE EMC Society and the IEEE Standards Association. He died on October 30, 2020, at the age of 80, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Donald Heirman, wearing a U.S. Navy Retired cap and dark coat, standing among the headstones of Arlington National Cemetery — Don Heirman visiting Arlington National Cemetery, January 2020. Photo: William A. Radasky, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This page is part of an independent memorial archive of his professional legacy. See About this site for how this archive is maintained.

Eight decades in EMC: a timeline

1940 Born

Purdue University later: BSEE and MSEE
1963 US Navy

Active duty 1963-1965, Naval Reserves until 1985, retired as Commander
1960s Bell Labs

30+ years; founded and managed the Global Product Compliance Laboratory
1980 IEEE EMC Society President

President 1980-81, after serving as Vice President
1987 IEEE Fellow

Member 1974, Senior Member 1983, Fellow 1987, later Life Fellow
1997 Don HEIRMAN Consultants

Founded his EMC training and standards consultancy in Lincroft, NJ
2000 IEEE-SA Standards Board Chair

Chair 2000-01; later President of the IEEE Standards Association
2008 IEC Lord Kelvin Award

The IEC's highest honor, presented in Sao Paulo
2013 IEC ACEC Chairman

Chaired the IEC Advisory Committee on EMC; previously chaired CISPR and ANSI ASC C63
2018 IEEE Emberson Award

His last major award; the ANSI Elihu Thomson Medal preceded it in 2017
2020 Died October 30

Buried at Arlington National Cemetery alongside his wife Lois

Where did Don Heirman study and begin his career?

Don Heirman earned his BSEE and MSEE degrees from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He joined the IEEE as a Member in 1974, was elevated to Senior Member in 1983 and to Fellow in 1987, and ultimately became an IEEE Life Fellow. His lifelong connection with Purdue continued to the end of his career: he later taught EMC compliance measurement there, and the university now holds his professional papers.

What did Don Heirman do at Bell Labs?

Heirman spent more than 30 years at Bell Laboratories (later AT&T and Lucent Technologies) in a range of EMC roles, reaching the grade of Distinguished Member of Technical Staff. He founded and managed the Lucent Technologies (Bell Labs) Global Product Compliance Laboratory, the corporation’s principal EMC and regulatory test facility. In that role he was responsible for the company’s product compliance testing and for its participation in ANSI-accredited and international EMC standardization committees. His published research from this period, beginning in 1973, covered inductive interference in telephone plant, open area test site design and qualification, and radiated emission measurement methods; the full record is preserved on the Publications page.

What was Don HEIRMAN Consultants?

After retiring from Bell Labs, Heirman founded Don HEIRMAN Consultants in Lincroft, New Jersey in 1997. It was a training, standards, and educational EMC consultancy, not a test laboratory: its work centered on EMC standards workshops and seminars, representation of client positions in standards committees, and training on the standardization processes of the IEEE, IEC, and CISPR (see the archived services description). The consultancy operated until his death in 2020 and is now closed.

What standards leadership roles did Don Heirman hold?

Heirman held chair or officer positions in nearly every major EMC standardization body in the United States and internationally. The table below lists his principal roles; periods are given where documented in his archived biography and public records.

Organization	Role	Period
IEEE EMC Society	Vice President	1978-1979
IEEE EMC Society	President	1980-1981
IEEE EMC Society	Chair, technical committees on EMC measurements and Smart Grid	various
IEEE Standards Association	President	past president
IEEE-SA Standards Board	Chair	2000-2001
CISPR (IEC International Special Committee on Radio Interference)	Chairman, later immediate past chairman	until 2013 era
IEC Advisory Committee on EMC (ACEC)	Chairman	from July 2013
ANSI ASC C63	Chairman, later immediate past chairman	not dated in archive
ANSI C63.4 working group (emission measurements)	Chair	not dated in archive
SEPA Electromagnetic Interoperability Issues Working Group (EMIIWG)	Chair	until 2020

He was also a life member of the Technical Management Committee of the US National Committee of the IEC, a past member of the IEEE Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and served as consultant on Smart Grid matters to the Conformity Assessment Section of the American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL).

What awards and honors did Don Heirman receive?

Year	Award	Awarding body
1984	Lawrence G. Cumming Award	IEEE EMC Society
1992	IEEE Standards Medallion	IEEE Standards Association
1995	Richard R. Stoddart Award	IEEE EMC Society
1997	Charles Proteus Steinmetz Award	IEEE
2000	IEEE Third Millennium Medal	IEEE
2008	Lord Kelvin Award (IEC’s highest award)	IEC
2017	Elihu Thomson Electrotechnology Medal	ANSI
2018	Richard M. Emberson Award	IEEE

The Lord Kelvin Award, presented at the IEC General Meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil in November 2008, is the IEC’s highest honor and recognized his contributions to global electrotechnical standardization in the field of EMC. He was also an honored life member of the IEEE EMC Society.

What was Don Heirman’s Navy service?

Heirman served on active duty in the US Navy from 1963 to 1965 and continued in the Naval Reserves until 1985, retiring with the rank of Commander. In recognition of his service he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, alongside his wife Lois.

Teaching and legacy

In his later career Heirman taught the practical application of EMC compliance measurement standards at Purdue University. Through decades of IEEE EMC Symposium workshops - many of them repeated year after year on measurement sites, associated errors, and measurement uncertainty - he trained a generation of EMC engineers. His work on harmonizing ANSI C63.4 with CISPR standards, and on Smart Grid electromagnetic interoperability through the SEPA EMIIWG, continues to influence how products are tested for EMC compliance worldwide. For current educational material on the standards he helped create, see the EMC standards section of this site.

A Professional Life (video)

In this video, referenced by ANSI in its memorial notice and originally posted on this very website, Don Heirman talks about his career and offers advice to engineers entering the profession.